Starfield is such a massive adventure that going in blind without some beginner tips might not be ideal for many players.

Especially if this is your first time enjoying a Bethesda game, Starfield can be somewhat hard to tackle in its first hours. This is true due to its vast array of in-game options, combat system, and mechanics.

This list of beginner tips is catered for you to have the smoothest possible experience with the incredible amount of mechanics and options Starfield presents!

Every Starfield Beginner Tip You Need to Know

The following beginner tips are intended to make the first dozen hours of your Starfield playthrough a more streamlined experience.

This will make you reach the more enjoyable parts of the game faster and have a less cumbersome adventure as you learn the ropes of all the RPG and in-game mechanics of the title.

Furthermore, if you have already created your character and want some Starfield beginner tips to start exploring the galaxy, click here.

1. Choose the Background That Suits Your Playstyle

Backgrounds in Starfield are essentially templates with three starting skills that you can choose for your character. There are a total of 21 Backgrounds to choose from, and each caters to a different playstyle.

Take some time to read about each skill and determine which Starfield Background works best for your own playstyle. This will make it easier to progress in a manner that feels natural for you.

As general advice, our best overall possible background picks are:

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• Soldier
• Diplomat
• Cyber Runner

2. Take Your Time to Select the Right Traits

Traits are unique characteristics you want your character to have, and you can pick up to three of these. Like with Backgrounds, sticking to those traits that will make gameplay enjoyable for you is key.

As a recommendation, we advise that you read each of the seventeen Starfield traits and choose those you feel work the best for your gameplay goals.

Some of the best trait options in Starfield include the following list, but don’t be afraid to tinker with these options:

• Freestar Collective Settler/Neon Street Rat/United Colonies Native
• Introvert/Extrovert
• Spaced/Terra Firma

3. Stick to the Main Campaign for a While

Yes, there are approximately a thousand planets to explore, but it is in your best interest to stick to the main quest, at least until you discover a couple of main cities and settlements.

This will make it easier for you to fully understand the game’s scope and then use all that knowledge to explore as you see fit. Basically, getting to know your ground before sprinting away!

4. Fast Travel Can Save Time

As cool as the traveling animations can be the first few times you arrive or depart a planet, loading screens will make this task repetitive and annoying quite soon.

Fortunately, you can fast-travel directly from a planet’s surface by bringing up the Star Map menu. Using this fast travel method saves you time since you don’t have to return to your ship.

All in all, this nifty Starfield beginner tip can save you two to three loading screens. Which, in retrospect, amounts to a considerable chunk of time!

5. Understand How Skill Leveling Works

The skill tree in Starfield works somewhat differently. To upgrade skills’ ranks and raise their effectiveness, you must complete specific challenges indicated within each skill.

For this reason, it is ideal to keep in mind what these challenges are so you can speed up the leveling process of the skills you need at that particular moment.

6. Unlock & Level Essential Skills

Many quests and interactions in Starfield will become much less tedious if you have the proper skills. These are some of the skills you might want to unlock to get the best out of your time with the game:

• Boost Pack Training (ideally, this skill should be the first one you unlock)
• Persuasion
• Weight Lifting
• Scavenging
• Combat Skill of Your Choice

7. Take Your Time to Understand Resource Management

Starfield is not forgiving when it comes to resource management. Whenever you think you might be doing something wrong, trust us, the problem is not your approach. You are not alone on this one.

Often, you’ll find yourself struggling to find space for your much-needed resources. To take care of this, you can:

• Sell often at the bright greenish-yellow Trade Authority Kiosks near landing zones in many outposts, including New Atlantis, or directly from your ship’s inventory
  • As a strategy, you can load up on enemy gear and, as soon as you get the chance, sell what you don’t need
• Ask your companions to carry some materials for you
• Leave some materials around in your ship or settlement

There is no perfect solution to this, as the resource management complications are more of a deliberate game design choice from Bethesda. All you can do is play smart around this obnoxious limitation.

8. Don’t Get Trigger-Happy When Selling Misc. Items!

Whenever you sell items, check exactly what you have in the Misc. category. This item section includes valuables such as Digipacks (a.k.a. lockpicks) that you can sell accidentally if you hit the Sell All option.

Make sure to take your time and only discard those items you don’t really need. Taking some extra seconds can be the difference between losing precious loot and saving your hard-earned rewards.

9. Buy Your Preferred Ammo

If you fancy a particular weapon, make sure you stock on that ammo in stores. Despite enemies having ammo as loot, they never seem to have the one you are looking for.

If you depend on enemy looting for your ammo needs, you might end up with hundreds of shotgun shells and a measly amount of ranged weaponry rounds.

10. Favorite Your Firearms for Easy Access

To make the most out of Starfield’s combat system, marking your weapons of choice as Favorites is a beginner tip you can’t miss. This will help you map the desired weapons to your D-Pad or number keys.

Moreover, this is one of those things the game won’t really mention, so it’s great to have it handy.

11. You Can Take Shortcuts if Needed

You do not have to go all in with every mechanic Starfield offers. Ship and settlement building are fair examples of this.

You can tinker with these in-game systems, but ultimately, you can take shortcuts if needed. For ships, you can buy prebuilts, and for settlements, you can buy houses in the major cities in the game.

Yes, these shortcuts will fall short in benefits compared to fully engaging with the building mechanics. However, it is far better to take this route instead of being stuck doing something in the game that is not enjoyable.

In essence, if you don’t like it, our best Starfield beginner tip is to do the shortcut version of it or avoid it altogether if possible.